Repercussions
by princ3ssf33t
Summary: Morgan was saved from the killer. But things aren't all good, Greg knows this. But what does he do when she shows up on his doorstep and wants to move on? Rated so for suggestive themes. Post Skin in the Game.
1. Scars

**A/N: For helpful references, let's say that Greg and Morgan have been dating since before the events of****_ Skin in the Game_****. **

**Disclaimer: I don't actually own CSI, because if I did, Greg and Morgan would have been dating a long time ago. **

* * *

He sat on his sofa, staring absently at the television screen. This had become his routine before going to bed. Eat, grab a drink out of the fridge, and stare at the screen for nearly an hour before going to bed. It never mattered. He would never be able to get out those images from his head.

They haunted him. Every moment of time where she wasn't there. The sight of her lying there on the ground, broken and bleeding. No, she wasn't broken. She was still that strong woman that he'd fallen in love with. She was still as fiery and fiercely independent as she was before the kidnapping. But it was that same independence and strength that was causing her troubles. Everyone was trying to help her transition back from the trauma. She would refuse insisting that everything was fine. Even when it was just the two of them on their dates, she wouldn't open up about it. She was clamming up. She wouldn't even allow him to walk her to the door of her apartment anymore. He understands, somewhat, but he misses kissing her goodnight.

There is a knocking on his door and his face reflects his confusion. Who could that be? It couldn't be any of his neighbors. They all knew that he worked graveyard, so they wouldn't be disturbing him in the morning. Unless it was an absolute emergency,

The door knocks again. Sighing he sets down his drink and walks towards his front door. He vaguely thinks about putting a shirt on, but the persistence of the knocking quickly shoos that thought away. Whoever is at his door needs his attention now and doesn't seem to want to wait.

He opens the door and stares gaping.

It's Morgan.

"Hey, uh, Greg. May I come in?" She asks quietly.

It takes him a moment to realize he needs open his mouth and speak.

"Yeah, absolutely. Of course. Come on in." He pulls the door open wider and gestures a hand for her to come in.

"Thanks."

She walks in with a bit of hesitancy. There's a small flinch as he shuts the door behind her. He walks to her side and offers to talk her coat. She refuses.

"Alright. Why don't you take a seat? I'm sorry about the mess. I wasn't really expecting guests," he tries apologizing.

"It's alright. I wasn't even sure that I was going to be coming here today." She sat on the only armchair that he had in the apartment. It happened to be his favorite place to sit.

"What do you mean?" Greg sat on the sofa, drink abandoned. He fought a growing blush when he realized that he was only in his pajama pants and his robe was still in the bathroom.

Morgan looked up at her companion's face and fresh tears danced in her blue eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She closed it and tried again. Her lower lip quivered for a moment before the dancing tears spilled over and rolled down her cheeks in fat drops. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

"Morgan?" Greg was concerned. She hadn't shown this much emotion in a long time. He looked at her seeing what he could see.

She was wearing the same blue and white coat that she had been when she was taken. She had told him that it was her favorite coat before she had gotten out of the car for the switch. He hadn't seen her wear it since he - they - had gotten her back.

"Morgan? Baby what's wrong?" He asked.

She pulled her face from her hands and only looked at Greg. He was surprised at how different she looked. Her face was still the same; there were still the lovely blue eyes that made him feel like he was drowning, the blonde curls that wrapped round her round face. But something wasn't the same. Her blue eyes never stayed in one spot for many seconds. She behaved as a cornered animal would.

Which was why he was so surprised when Morgan suddenly moved from her seat on the recliner, pushed him deep into the sofa he sat on, and kissed him passionately.

He was surprised, but not complaining. He'd wanted to do this exact same thing for a long, long time. But out of respect for her, he never did. There hadn't been a right time; she wasn't ready for it yet.

And now she was giving him what he wanted, she was here, and he didn't want it. A part of him still wanted it, but he knew something wasn't right. The night before she barely let him hug her, and now she was all over him with intentions that didn't need any deciphering.

"Morg-Morgan!" He said pushing her off of him and on to a cushion next to him. "What are you doing?"

She shook her head and took off her coat. Underneath she was wearing the same dress as she was when she was captured. Well, not the same dress, that one was in the evidence locker shredded from the killer's attempts to get it off of her. Slowly, she reached behind her and unzipped the dress. When she moved her hands back to the front to slip the straps off of her shoulders, he grabbed her wrist gently. She flinched.

"Morgan, what are you doing?" He asked gently. This wasn't healthy.

Tears still streamed down her face. Her sobs were shaking her whole body, and with her shaking hands she removed Greg's hand from her wrist.

"I need to do this. Let me do this."

Those were the words she said after proposing her idea to get on the inside.

Slowly he nodded and drew back. But not before he placed a gentle kiss on her hand. Morgan stood up and finished pulling off her dress. Greg made a mental check that all the drapes and blinds were shut. But his gaze never wavered from the woman he loved.

He had never seen her in such distress. Her pale body shook with each sob and tears dripped off her face and ran down the rest of her body. He wanted nothing more than to just get up and hug her. To soothe away those negative feelings.

Morgan knew Greg. She knew he loved her with his whole heart and would do anything to protect her. As she would him. And that was why she was doing this. For him. For her. For them. She knew in order for their relationship to progress, something needed to be done.

Images and feelings rushed her brain. The adrenaline of being in the same room as a suspect. The dread and unbelief as he told her to undress. The relief to get out of there. The terror as the ride back to safety turned deadly. The bondage. The beatings. The unspeakable evils. The relief when Greg and the other officers came busting through the doors. The guilt nothing could be done to save-

She didn't feel as her knees gave way. But Greg was there. Catching her and guiding her down to the sofa again. Tears still streamed down her cheeks. He hugged her close to his chest, uncaring that she was naked and he was halfway so. She needed a friend more than a lover at the moment. He petted her hair as he spoke softly.

"Morgan, it's alright. That's over. That's all over. You're safe. You're safe from him."

Eventually he stopped speaking and just let Morgan cling to him. For a smaller woman she had a very strong grip. Her tears ultimately ran dry and there were dry sobs. Those turned into hiccups. They still held each other.

Greg took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak.

"Morgan. This has been an emotional morning, for the both of us. Why don't you take a shower and wash away those memories? I'll lend you some clothes, so you don't have to wear that outfit again, is that alright?"

Morgan hiccupped once more, and nodded against his chest. She drew herself away and looked into Greg's face. He reached up and wiped the tears away from her cheeks. Then he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"This way to the bathroom." He held her hand and led her down the hall.

She didn't flinch away from his touch this time. She followed, feeling a sense of peace she hadn't in a while. She knew she made the right choice.

"I'll be in the living room when you're done. Uh, here." Greg offered her a pair of his sweatpants and a t-shirt he hadn't worn in a while and a towel. She offered him a slight smile in return and slipped into the bathroom.

Greg stood outside for a moment before turning to walk back into the living room. Even though at first he didn't understand just what Morgan was doing at the time, he understood now. He just hoped they wouldn't have to go through that again. Seeing her break down like that was heartbreaking.

He sat on the sofa before getting up and walking into his kitchen. His coffeepot still had coffee inside, he poured himself a cup. The flavor wasn't what he liked, it had been sitting too long. But it was hot and gave himself something to do.

Now that she was gone, he took the time to think about what transpired. The sight of her body rippled through his mind and try as he might, it wouldn't go away.

"Stop it," he muttered to himself. Morgan wasn't ready yet.

He didn't hear when the shower was turned off and the footsteps walking towards him.

"You lied."

"Huh?" His head jerked up to see Morgan standing in his sweats and shirt with dripping hair still.

"You told me that you would be in the living room. This doesn't look like the living room to me." She smirked at her teasing. It was only there for a moment before it faded again.

"I needed some coffee. It's past my bedtime you know." Greg winked at her.

"Oh, sorry. But you can't say that it was a waste of time." She raised her eyebrows and bit her lip.

Greg laughed. She was the better of the two at being subtle, but she was completely failing at the moment. He wrapped an arm around her and brought her into another hug. Her hair smelled like shampoo that she 'forgot' when her apartment building was being fumigated. Strawberries.

"You need sleep. That was an eventful hour we've just had. One doesn't expect you to just bounce back in one night. Let's take it slow. Okay?" He smiled down at his girlfriend.

She nodded. Secretly, she was relieved. No pressure pressing down on her. He had seen everything and she didn't feel like the prey of a vulture. He saw her fading bruises and winced with her. He didn't shy away. But one thing still bothered her.

"Would you sleep with me? I don't want to be alone," She whispered. "I don't want the nightmares to come back."

"Of course. I'll always be there for you."

He gently guided her to his bedroom and allowed her to lie underneath the covers. He grabbed a spare blanket and threw it over himself as he lay next to her. She snuggled closer to him. He reached around and pulled her close.

Quicker than he thought she would, Morgan fell asleep. Her rhythmic deep breaths lulled him almost to sleep. Before he could fall into those depths he managed to whisper.

"I love you Morgan. I would never hurt you."

Content his head rested on the back of his pillow. His eyes closed. It was really past the time he should be asleep. He was confident that Morgan was getting better. She would pull through. She was strong and independent. That was why he loved her.

"I know."

* * *

**A/N: (again) What did you all think? So, Review and tell me what you think.**


	2. Nightmares

For a moment he was confused as to why he was awake. He glanced over at his alarm. Three in the afternoon. What could have possibly woken him up? There was no smoke, no fire, there didn't seem to be any disturbances in his home. A moment thought reminded him of what had transpired earlier. Immediately, his heart began to race and his palms began to sweat. He sat straight up and looked over to where Morgan slept.

She was still asleep. He gave himself a small smile. What was he worried about? She was safe and sound here in his bed. There was no reason for anything to be amiss.

He got out of bed to check the locks on the doors and windows anyways. The instant that his warm body left the bed, something changed within Morgan's face. Greg didn't notice, he was already out of the room. He shut the door behind him drafting cold air into the room. Morgan began to shake under the quilt and sweat.

* * *

She was freezing. Yet despite this, she was sweating hard. A cold sweat. Terror. She was alone now. She didn't know where the other went but she was afraid. Her heart was racing in tune with the what ifs that ran through her head.

What if he comes back for me? What if I don't make it out of here? What would happen to her father if she didn't make it back home to him? What if she didn't have the chance to see all of her friends and family again? What if she would never see Greg again? What if she would never have the chance to tell him that she actually loved him?

By this time she was in tears and heard the door creaking open.

_'Aw sweetie. No need to cry tears over my absence, I'm back. Are you ready to have some fun?'_

_NO._

She prepared herself to fight. There wasn't much fight left in her. But she was going to fight, he'd already seen everything, he wasn't going to touch her. She wouldn't allow him to touch her in the same ways that Greg had. There would be no going back from that. She couldn't let him do that.

But he was bigger and stronger. One hit to the face and she was down on the ground. One leg was positioned on either side of her. Her hands were hitting him, fighting for her life.

She screamed when her hands were pinned down.

* * *

Greg heard her scream from the other end of his house. His heart stilled for a moment when the voice was recognized. _Morgan_. He abandoned his walk and ran back into his bedroom. He flung open the door ready to defend his girlfriend to the death. There was nothing that he wouldn't do for her. She was the only one that he would use a gun for without hesitation.

But when he got into his room there was no one in there. No villain preying down upon her, no disturbing psycho eager to play. Only Morgan in his bed. But the sight of her scared him almost as badly.

Morgan was convulsing in her sleep. She was fighting some unknown assailant, but he knew just who she was fighting. It wasn't hard to tell. There was only one person who would be able to affect her dreams in such a way. She screamed again with tears streaming down her face.

Greg knew he needed to wake her up. But how to do it was the question. He didn't want to inadvertently cause her any more trauma as he tried to wake her up.

He sat slowly down next to her on the bed. He took a hand of hers in his and felt as she twitched and flinched away from him. Slowly he took his other hand and wiped the hair away from her forehead.

"Baby, it's okay. You're safe now. Wake up."

She whimpered through her weeping.

"Morgan, Morgan honey wake up."

* * *

There was nothing that she could do. She was alone, overpowered, and going to die. She was openly crying now. There was nothing to stop him. She wasn't going to get out of this room alive.

_Greg! I'm so sorry!_ She cried out.

_'He can't hear you're pathetic cries.'_

Her sobbing came in gasps. She was unsure of it was, a lack of oxygen to her brain or desperation but she was hearing Greg's voice.

"Morgan! Morgan honey wake up! Come back to me!"

She opened her mouth to answer him, but her breath was cut off when his hands found themselves around her neck. She gasped out in horror.

_'When I'm done with you, I might go after your little boyfriend.'_

"MORGAN!"

* * *

He was beginning to panic. She wasn't responding to his voice. He wasn't really expecting her to, but he just hoped that she would. He gingerly wiped the sweat away from her face.

"Baby, c'mon now. I know that you can hear me. There's nothing to be afraid of. We've got the guy. He's in jail. He can never hurt you again."

He was rubbing her hand with his thumb. She gripped his hand tightly.

"NO GREG!" She screamed and sat bolt straight in the bed.

She looked around wildly for any sign of danger. Her pale blue eyes latched onto Greg and she threw her arms around him. Wet tears still clung to her cheeks and leaked from the corners of her eyes. Greg gently wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

Greg was aware that she was murmuring something into his chest. He rubbed her back, like his mother did when he was a young boy and needed comfort. He kissed the top of her head before resting his chin there. He just held her safe in his arms and let her cry.

"He was going to come after you," she murmured. "He was going to hurt you. I couldn't- I couldn't-"

"Shh, shh, it's okay Morgan that's over. He can't touch you," Greg said, not completely hearing what she said.

"No, he was going after you next. He told me, and I wasn't strong enough to stop -hic- him. I wasn't strong enough," she sobbed louder.

"NO." Greg pulled her back from his embrace so he could look at her tear-stained face.

"Don't ever let me hear you say that again. You are _not_ weak. You are one of the strongest people that I know. Who else could have gone through all you have gone through and have the strength to continue to move on? And don't think about bringing up the rest of the team. Yes, every one of them had their moments to prove what was underneath, but they're not you."

Morgan's protesting stopped. She just watched as her boyfriend continued to speak, a calm settled over her.

"You've overcome so many obstacles in your life. You had to live through your parents' divorce, you dealt with being fired in LA, you breezed through the hijacking with the helicopter like it was nothing, your father's shooting, and this. There is nothing that you can't seem to do. I wish I had half the courage that you did Morgan."

By this time, both Greg and Morgan were in tears.

"Greg, don't sell yourself short. You have the courage too."

"No, I have the stupidity. I think with my heart instead of with my brain. Why do you think that I blew up on Samantha when the chopper was hijacked? And when you were taken, I almost couldn't function then. Sometimes I wish that I could be like you and set aside my feelings for the job."

Morgan wiped her tears away from her face, before reaching over and wiping the tears away from Greg's face.

"No you don't. Want to hear a secret? I wish I were more like you. Setting aside emotions isn't what it looks like. They end up being bottled inside until they explode out of you. Look at where we are now. This happened because I tried to solve my problems myself."

Greg opened his mouth to speak.

"Don't. It's my turn to speak. Greg, you're an amazing guy, and I honestly don't know how I managed to catch your eye. But one thing I do know, I love you Greg Hojem-Sanders. When I'm around you I don't feel any less of a person. My reoccurring nightmares don't come when you are near me. I feel safe. I love you."

Silence settled over the both of them. She had never told him that before. By the time she had been ready, she had been taken.

Greg watched his girlfriend. There was something else in her expression now. A serene quality that hadn't been there for weeks now. Her blue eyes stayed connected with his brown eyes. There was no flicker of fear within them. A peace that wasn't there since before.

Before he realized what he was doing, he had grabbed her head and pulled her in for a kiss. The moment her lips touched his, excitement ran through him. He had missed the feel of her on his lips.

Morgan wasn't all too surprised when Greg kissed her. He hadn't changed, but his kiss was full of passion that he had held back for weeks. Morgan felt a little bad that she had caused this to him. She reached around him and tangled her fingers in his hair.

Neither knew how long they sat together like that. But when they broke apart, there was a smile on both of their faces. Things were going to be okay. Unfortunately, Greg had insisted that Morgan try to get some more sleep before they headed in for their next shift. Obediently Morgan laid back down. Greg got up and turned to walk out of the room, but Morgan grabbed his hand.

"Where are you going?" She asked an edge to her voice.

"To sleep on the couch. It may not be the best idea right now for me to sleep next to you." He gave her that secret smile that she so desperately loved.

She sat up again. Her grip on his hand tightened.

"I trust you. Stay."

Her smile widened and saw as his resolve crumbled. He was still muttering to himself, but he crawled back underneath the blanket he had been sleeping under earlier, still holding her hand. He turned his body to look at her with their secret smile. Morgan reached over and kissed him on the nose.

"I'll stay. Always."

Together they fell asleep holding each other's hand.

* * *

**A/N: There you have part two. I hope it was satisfactory. Sorry everyone that it took so long, I went on vacation in the wilderness were we weren't allowed to have any electronics, and then I had writer's block so bad. It was horrible. **

**Always, Reviews are appreciated. **


End file.
